A24 has established itself in recent years as one of the most original production companies. And although the films it produces span all genres – horror, documentary, comedy and beyond – the entertainment house has become synonymous with a certain aesthetic.
The company has attracted singular filmmakers like Sofia Coppola, Ari Aster, Yorgos Lanthimos and Barry Jenkins, who have helped define the company’s creative philosophy to the point where it’s often easy to recognize a film as an A24 production. And his films aren’t just underground hits. Many of them have also won Oscars, including several titles arriving this month like Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Although HBO Max is the top destination to stream the most A24 movies, you can find some of its best movies on several free streaming services such as Awning, TubiPluto TV and Plex. In July, in addition to the Oscar winners we’ve already mentioned, you’ll be able to see acclaimed hits like Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird and Sean Baker’s Red Rocket and several other great titles.
Here are some of our favorite A24 hits you can watch this July without spending a cent.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is that rare comedy that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. More absurd than downright hilarious, the 2022 film also landed Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese immigrant whose husband, Waymond (Best Supporting Actor winner Ke Huy Quan), discovers a multiverse that allows them to move between parallel universes. The film also stars Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blending comedy, action, and drama all in one, it’s both a time- and genre-changing film.
Civil War, written and directed by Alex Garland, is a dystopian thriller that also feels a little too real. The film tells the story of a modern American civil war between the government and secessionist movements seeking separation from it. As violence erupts everywhere, a group of war journalists attempt to travel the dangerous route from New York to Washington to interview the president. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny and Stephen McKinley Henderson co-star.
Yes, it’s a film based on a series of tweets, but in the hands of director Janicza Bravo, Zola is much more than that. In 2015, a woman named A’Ziah “Zola” King went viral for a story she wrote over the course of 148 tweets about a road trip she took to Florida with a new friend who wasn’t what she seemed. Taylour Paige plays the title character and Riley Keough plays Stefani, a stripper who invites Zola to go to Tampa to earn money dancing. But what follows is a wild tale of sex and violence that eventually escalates into murder.
Yet another entry for Alex Garland, Ex Machina stars Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb, a man whose boss Nathan (Oscar Isaac) tasks him with determining whether the humanoid robot he is developing can pass for a human. Caleb develops feelings for the robot, named Ava (Alicia Vikander), and soon realizes that Nathan’s motives are more manipulative and deceptive than Caleb thought.
Moonlight is another Best Picture winner on free streaming platforms this month. The film, directed by Barry Jenkins, tells the story of a boy, Chiron Harris, told in three parts, as he transitions from adolescence to adulthood while coming to terms with his sexuality. He bonds with a drug dealer named Juan (Mahershala Ali, who won an Oscar for his role), who becomes a father figure to him as he grows up.
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan as Christine McPherson, a high school student who calls herself “Lady Bird.” As the school year progresses, she despairs of leaving her home in Sacramento and going to college on the East Coast, something her family cannot afford. When she secretly applies – and is accepted – to a New York school, her relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) becomes strained. Gerwig said the film is not an autobiography of his life, but the themes of family relationships, adolescent desire and hopeful aspirations are universal and perfectly captured. (Catch Timothée Chalamet in one of his earliest roles as one of Lady Bird’s high school crushes.)
Sean Baker won an Oscar for Anora, but before that he directed Red Rocket, the acclaimed comedy-drama about a newly retired adult film star, Mikey “Saber” Davies (played by Simon Rex), who returns to his Texas hometown for a fresh start. As he unsuccessfully attempts to reintegrate into small-town life, he meets a 17-year-old girl (Suzanna Son) whom he persuades to begin her own career in adult film, so that they can move to Los Angeles together. Rex has received numerous accolades, including an Independent Spirit Award for his role as Mikey.
